


Lynx Midnight Tour

by Myka, UnholyNightmare



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Biting, Blood Drinking, Goretober 2019, Human Eiji Okumura, M/M, New York City, Vampire Ash Lynx, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-12 22:15:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21233429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myka/pseuds/Myka, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnholyNightmare/pseuds/UnholyNightmare
Summary: Eiji finally gets the chance he’s been waiting for to go on a Lynx Midnight Tour, and to meet Ash Lynx.





	Lynx Midnight Tour

**Author's Note:**

> Myka originally started writing this for Halloween last year and Coop was amazing and helped finish it using is as a Goretober prompt! 
> 
> Please read the tags.

* * *

Eiji’s fingers itch with anticipation as he clicks on the submit button.

It takes a moment, but soon his phone pings with an e-mail notification, and his heart beats loudly in his ears. 

_ **Booking Confirmation: Lynx Midnight Tour** _

Tabbing over to the forum, Eiji writes a quick post, letting everyone know that he’s done it. He’s gotten the tickets, and he’s going to prove his theory.

Then, making sure his camera is fully charged, he snags an extra memory card, and hurries out of his hotel room.

New York is vivid even in the winter. The city is blanketed under a smooth coat of freshly fallen snow, and the lights of the buildings reflect off of this, scattering color every which way. People huddle together to keep each other warm, but Eiji simply pulls on a pair of gloves, then tugs closed his green coat as he heads towards the subway.

It’s 11:30 in the evening when Eiji reaches his destination. Despite the hour, a handful of vehicles still roam about, and the sidewalks carry a couple of tourists, all rosy cheeked and smiling as they enjoy the night.

He sees the charging bull sculpture, and runs across the street, pausing only to wave a taxi by.

A small group of six people mingle there, and he walks up, smiling.

“Are you part of the midnight tour?” Eiji asks as he approaches the group.

The group turns to look at him. A girl close to him offers him a smile. “Yes! We’re so lucky we got tickets.”

“Is it true the tour only appears for sale an hour before it actually starts?” A man with brown hair asks, as the girl by his side snuggles close, trying to escape the cold.

“Yes.” Eiji answers. “There’s also always eight spots available.”

“Then where’s your second?”

Eiji grips the strap of his bag. “I came alone. I wasn’t missing the chance to go on this tour just because I didn’t have a friend to go with.”

“I would have done the same,” someone else adds. “But the fine print did say everyone must come in pairs. Hopefully they won’t kick you out.”

“I hope not.” Eiji scratches his head, wrinkling his nose in consternation. “I already paid.”

The group laughs together, then they all huddle closer to wait together as snowflakes start falling.

“It’s getting colder,” the man pipes up again. “Did we get scammed?”

“It’s not midnight yet.” Eiji mentions. He glances at his watch. 11:59 p.m. “I heard he’s punc—” 

A figure catches Eiji’s eyes from across the street. “—tual,” he finishes, as the group all turn to watch a man slowly approach. He’s wearing a long dark jacket, and a hood hides his features.

“Good evening.” The man slowly removes his hood, revealing ashen blond hair trailing down the palest skin Eiji has ever seen. Then he looks up at the group, deep green eyes sparkling in the city lights.

Eiji’s breath catches and the entire group grows eerily quiet.

“We seem to be missing one guest.” The voice is deep and Eiji feels it on his skin, heavy and dangerous

He can feel the eyes of the entire group on him now, but his brain seems to have forgotten how to create words.

“My… my friend bailed on me,” he stutters. 

Green eyes just stare. 

The hairs on Eiji’s arms start to prickle.

“That’s breaking the rules,” the man says harshly. “You may not join us on this tour. You’re refund will be sent out tomorrow.”

The man moves and motions for the group to follow. 

Eijis hearts thumps loud and a failure born of desperation sinks into his bones. He is so close. _ So _ close. He’s never going to have this chance again. “Please let me join!” Eiji calls, running after them. 

“You need a partner. Those are the rules.”

“Then please be my partner!”

Eiji bows instinctively. He feels the silence of the group followed only by a soft huff of one of the girls.

“Are you certain?”

Eiji doesn’t look away. The wind gusts suddenly, blowing icy snowflakes across his cheeks, and he can see the others hug their jackets tighter.

“Are you sure?” The man asks and Eiji feels something within him telling him to run. He pushes it aside.

“I’m sure.”

* * *

They move throughout the city at a brisk, but comfortable place. The man with them introduces himself as Ash Lynx, the founder of the Lynx Midnight Tour, and reminds them of the rules. Follow him at all times. Listen to what he has to say. And do not take pictures of him.

He doesn’t speak much, as they walk the first cemetery, but then again, Eiji figures, that’s not really his style.

Every article he’d read described Ash as a man born of mystery, cloaked with shadow, and it’s that aesthetic that keeps people wanting more.

The stops on the tour are always different, always a secret. You never know exactly where you’ll be going when you buy the tickets.

Tonight, Ash takes them on a tour of five different graveyards. 

Eiji’s never been afraid of graveyards, or even nervous around them, but tonight, in Ash’s presence, there’s something ominous. A whisper of threat, a warning of danger.

He’s not the only one who feels it.

One of the girls lets out a whimper as they stand at a human-sized weeping angel monument, after she reaches her hand out and it comes away wet with something dark.

Ash grins, his teeth so bright in the moonlight they seem unreal. “Be careful,” he warns, in that dark voice.

Everyone laughs, but it’s a shuddery, tainted sound.

They walk another mile, and the snow starts to accumulate around them. Eiji wishes he’d brought winter boots, because the damp is already starting to soak through the toes of his shoes. 

But it’s the next stop that brings his heart to his throat.

He knows this place.

As they walk in past the gates, up towards the larger monuments–the crypts and the tombs–Eiji digs in his bag for his phone, scrolling through it quickly and finding the photograph that he’s been holding onto all year.

Ash finally stops, right were Eiji knows he will, and he looks up, the wind causing his blond hair to dance.

It’s the same as the photo.

Eiji holds it up–the brown and grainy photograph from the 40s reflecting the same vision. There is a man, standing next to this particular tomb, his hand brushing against the stone door, his long coat hanging at his ankles. He’s smiling, but it’s feral, chilling, almost unreal. 

It’s blurry. 

Eiji has spent too much time trying to force resolution from it, and this is the best he’s been able to do.

But it’s good enough.

He’s certain the man in the photograph is Ash Lynx.

Eiji grabs his camera, setting everything quickly, and snaps a photo as Ash speaks quietly about the ghosts that are said to live in this particular tomb.

Eiji quietly puts everything away, trying to curb the nervous anticipation in his belly.

He’s done it.

He’s gotten the photograph that will prove that Ash Lynx isn’t human.

They wander the city for another hour, standing in abandoned cathedrals, and looking at more tombs. 

And then it’s over.

They are suddenly back to where they started, the other group members are thanking Ash and shaking his hand and dispersing.

Eiji checks his watch. 2:32 AM.

The city that never sleeps is still thrumming with energy, but it’s diluted so much now that it almost feels as though they are the only two beings on the street.

Ash watches him with a sly grin, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and tapping one into his hand. He lights it with ease, then inhales deeply, blowing a thin cloud of smoke into the air.

Eiji tells himself to leave. To start down the steps to the Subway station. He got what he came for. Now he just had to leave.

But instead he finds himself watching Ash lit the cigarette and eye him with those bright green eyes.

“That’s a great disguise,” Eiji says, watching his breath condense in front of him as he snuggles into his jacket.

“To pretend to be a vampire?” Ash asks with a grin as he takes another inhale of his cigarette.

Eiji glances at Ash’s profile. His heart beats louder against his chest and he clenches his hand around his phone. “To pretend to be human,” he murmurs.

Eiji’s breath shakes as he scrolls through his phone, back to the album he’d opened at the tomb. He shows the picture to Ash as a fumbling couple passes them by and starts down the steps to the station.

Ash looks at the image without taking Eiji’s phone.

Eiji watches for any reaction in the blond’s eyes, but there is nothing.

“Old pictures,” Ash comments and tosses the cigarette butt on the floor, stepping on it.

“Manhattan. 1916. 1928. 1942. There are pictures of you on the dark web. Where dozens discuss the possibility of what if.”

A man alone appears from the station and shuffles into the street, and Eiji pauses for a moment, letting him pass.

“But you know that already, don't you?” Eiji continues. “That’s why you don’t allow people to take pictures of you.”

“You have an interesting hobby.” Ash leans against the rail, his entire long body stretching like a feline while Eiji puts his phone back in his pocket. “What did you expect me to say when you tell me this? Would you like me to say it’s all coincidence and disappear? You'd never see me again.”

Eiji fidgets. “I don’t know.” He answers honestly. “To prove something was true.”

“For what? Internet points?” Ash scoffs. “To go back to that sad little group and tell them that you saw me? You have no evidence—”

“I already have the pictures.” Eiji says nonchalantly. “Whenever you were distracted. Whenever your attention was elsewhere, even if it was for a second.”

“Who are you?”

“Eiji Okumura.” Eiji repeats. “I’m a photographer that specializes in capturing people when they are unaware.” Eiji puts his phone back in his pocket, then pulls his camera close to watch the screen, flipping through the album until he finds what he needs.

He shows Ash each picture. “They are automatically uploaded to a personal server. If I don’t reset the password every week the entire database gets sent to one of my colleagues along with instructions.”

Ash looks away for a minute and swallows, the movement at his throat almost serpentine. Then he bursts into laughter. 

It’s a deep vibrating sound that seeps into Eiji’s skin and crawls there, and for the first time, Eiji shudders.

“And you think that makes you safe?” Ash shows teeth in his grin. “You think telling me you have pictures of me and standing here by a train station where witnesses can see us makes you safe?”

Eiji takes in a sharp breath. Ash suddenly disappears from his right and he feels the raze of something sharp trail up the back of his neck. Moving quickly, Eiji clasps a hand hard on the back of his neck and turns but Ash is already Ash behind him.

For a moment Eiji forgets how to breath. The cold of the night seeps into his bones and an unmistakable shiver of danger wriggles down his spine.

Ash smirks, and the tiny piercing tips of his teeth lay over his bottom lip. 

He’s no longer hiding his fangs. 

A car drives past. Three people appear from the underground station in small conversation, passing them with no more than a single glance

And no. Eiji does not feel safe.

“You remind me of someone.” Ash says as he leans back on the rail. “Why do you think I only allow pairs in my tours?” He vanishes again when Eiji blinks. “So I can resist temptation,” he whispers in Eiji’s ear. “It’s always messier when there’s more than one.”

Eiji’s paralyzed with fright for a second, swallowing thickly as Ash’s nose brushes against his cheek. Finally, he makes his mouth open, screaming, “Help!”

The group that passed them by stops and turns, their faces frowning in confusion. “Are you ok?” one of them asks.

Eiji swallows, eyes darting from side to side. The cold wind whips across his face as he stands alone. Ash is gone.

His fingers shake as he pulls out his phone again and scrolls down the screen.. “I…uh...what train do I need to take to get to Times Square?”

He knows already, he’s just shaking, and nervous, and they’re looking at him funny so he has to ask something.

Eiji bolts down the station steps as soon as the group answers, desperate to get out of there. He glances behind him every three seconds. Terrified to see Ash there, terrified that he’s being followed. 

He’d fucked up. He’d fucked up big time. If he made it back to the hotel, if he made it out of the States and back to Japan he swore he’d never go into the dark web ever again. Would never be so stupid to pull such a trick for ‘internet points’.

When he first stumbled onto the dark creatures group, it all felt surreal. A small group of hobbyists speculating and doing what they considered to be research, when all they were actually doing was making stuff up and spreading theories as far and wide as they could.

The ‘vampire tour guide’ thread hadn’t caught his eye at first until one of his forum friends sent him a message asking him if his trip to New York was still on schedule.

Eiji thought it would be fun. He stalked the website where the midnight tour was supposed to appear, he researched every haunted venue the tour had been to in the past. He researched, he read, he prepared.

And then he’d taken pictures that no else had dared to do before, and now...

The train doors open in front of Eiji and he rushes in, unease growing in the empty car. He stayed close to the doors making sure no one else got in. 

The doors close in front of him and Eiji closes his eyes for a brief moment, breathing a small sigh of relief. 

When he opens them, Ash is smiling at him from the other side of the train doors, waving as the train begins to build up speed down the track.

Eiji squeaks, fingers closing tight on the straps of his bag, and his heart is in his throat. He trembles the entire ride to Times Square, watching the doors like a hawk at every stop. He’s holding his phone in his hand, 911 pre-dialed in. “Please just let me make it to the hotel. Please…”

When the train finally arrives at Times Square, Eiji rushes out of the station. The crowd is bigger here, and there’s a small safety in that. The lights are everywhere, noise is everywhere, and his heartbeat stills enough that he can almost believe that everything is normal.

When he sees the hotel entrance Eiji breathes in relief. His steps quicken as he reaches for the sliding doors.

An arm snatches Eiji’s waist.

Before the fear settles into Eiji’s heart, the world spins around him impossibly fast. Then he’s slammed against the wall of a dark alley, hidden away from the light and the crowds.

Eiji tries to scream, but a firm hand covers his mouth.

“It’s been quite long since I had this much fun.”

Eiji’s eyes turn towards the busy street. He reaches out towards the light, trying to push against Ash, when pain explodes on his neck, and he feels sharp teeth pierce his skin and burrow deep into him.

Eiji screams. 

It’s horrible. The feeling of Ash’s teeth. Ash gulping against his throat and Eiji can hear it so loud in his ears. He tries to pull away, but Ash is like stone, completely impenetrable. He kicks out, struggling to move, struggling to breathe, but Ash just holds Eiji tighter against the wall. He presses a hand so tightly against Eiji’s mouth that Eiji’s lips cut against his teeth, and he drinks in gulp after gulp until Eiji’s hands fall numb against his sides, until he no longer has any strength to fight.

“You know?” Ash presses his nose against Eiji’s throat and breathes in deeply. “I wasn’t planning on feeding tonight.” Eiji shivers as Ash’s tongue laps his neck. “I mean, that’s why I used to set up the tours, to lure in prey. But in the past few years it’s been just for fun. That’s why I advertise as pairs only, so I won’t be tempted.” Eiji releases a frightened moan when Ash sucks against the wound. ”I gave you a chance to leave, but you _ so _determinedly stayed.”

“I won’t say anything.” Eiji’s voice seems to scrape up his throat. “I’ll delete all the files I swear.”

Ash finally releases his bite, and puts Eiji down on the ground. 

The world is spinning so hard he’s afraid he might be sick, and there are spots dancing in front of his vision.

“Let’s go,” Ash says.

He can’t. There’s no way he can. Eiji moans, and tries to push himself up against the ground, but he falls back to the snow immediately. He’s cold. He’s so cold and he’s shivering so hard his entire body hurts. “Please,” he whispers.

Ash bends down and helps Eiji back up. “Let’s go to the library,” he says.

Eiji jerks and tries to get his feet to move, tries to flee, but there isn't any strength on his body, none at all. Ash puts an arm around his waist to steady him starts walking. “If you scream I’ll kill the closest person next to me.” Ash threatens. Eji swallows down a cry for help, and Ash’s nails press into his neck. 

The walk to the library is short. Eiji’s anxiety is rising as fewer and fewer people walk about.

They end up in one of the library’s gardens, sitting side by side on a cement bench hidden from the road. The library is still lit, and the glow of light from the high walls pools around them.

Eiji doesn't understand why they are here.

“I haven’t killed anyone in a very long time,” Ash says reaching for Eiji’s coat.

“Please...” Eiji’s voice cracks. The cold is seeping into his bones as Ash takes his coat off and tosses it on the ground.

Ash fingers push down the neck of his sweater, his nails rasp against the open bite. Eiji flinches and wants to scream. He’s going to be killed. He’s going to be eaten. He has to do something.

Eiji manages to get a hand up, to wrap his fingers around Ash’s wrist, and he turns his head, looking up into Ash’s eyes. The word _ beautiful _crosses his thoughts again. Beautiful, but terrifying. So terrifying.

“I’ll do anything you want.” He tries to think of what to say to convince the vampire to let him go. “I’ll tell everyone this is a normal tour that the legend is false. I’ll—”

Ash suddenly strikes, clamping a hand over Eiji’s mouth and sinking his teeth into the center of his throat. Eiji’s scream is silenced, killed before it gets a chance to escape.

Ash bites deep. So deep Eiji is painfully aware he isn't just feeding, he’s destroying what’s there, He’s killing.

He’s killing Eiji.

The taste of blood fills Eiji’s mouth and he chokes once spitting red all down his lips and chin. The world fizzles and darkens for a moment and his fingers clutch Ash’s jacket, almost as he’s urging this on, wanting to be killed, to be eaten.

And suddenly, it doesn’t hurt. Eiji’s hands drop to the snow as Ash moves away... He watches those green eyes stare down at him.

He was still beautiful, even stained with blood.

“I don’t want to die.”

Eiji doesn’t know why he says that. What point is there to plea any longer when he knows he’s going to die. “I don't want to die alone please.”

“Guess I didn't tear your vocal cords.” Ash notes as he sits back down, next to Eiji. He sighs, looking up at the moon. “He liked taking pictures too. He took all those pictures you showed me.”

The snow falls heavier now, clinging to Eiji’s eyelashes as he blinks. “I don’t… I don’t want–”

“Shh,” Ash says, reaching over and taking Eiji’s hand. 

He bends down to Eiji’s neck again, but doesn’t bite, just inhales deeply.

“You smell so good,” he murmurs, drawing up again and watching Eiji.

His lips are coated in blood, but his fangs still shine so white.

“I just wanted to meet you.” Eiji’s voice is barely a whisper. “I just wanted to meet you.”

Ash suddenly lies down next to him in the snow, and Eiji blinks, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes, then falling, frozen on his cheeks. Ash pulls him close and the world darkens more and more, as Ash’s sharp nails play with the ends of Eiji’s hair.

Ash draws in a deep breath. “So good,” he repeats. “You taste like him too.”

His tongue is back at the wound, lapping at blood, and Eiji doesn’t have the strength to move away.

“I think,” Ash finally says, deep voice full of want, “that I’ve changed my mind.”

Eiji’s breath catches as Ash suddenly pull him close once more. He waits for the fear to slam into him again, waits for the pain of teeth at his neck again, but Ash just grips him like he’s important, and presses something warm and wet to Eiji’s lips. Ash’s voice is low and urgent, the only thing that Eiji can hear.

“Drink.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find us on Twitter:  
[Agentcoop](twitter.com/agentcoop1)  
[Myka](https://twitter.com/mykafl)


End file.
